Sundance Glass Over 40 years!

Making sculptured glass and blowing glass

with a torch using Borosilicate glass (Pyrex)

Class suspended for studio renovations

In the above picture, the sculptured
dragon and the pipe is made using the techniques demonstrated
in this workshop. Our instructor, used three coloring techniques
in this piece, fuming with silver, using lusters, and using fired
on gold.

Goal
of this workshop: To teach you how to use a torch to turn glass into art
or functional pieces. You will learn how to work wih Borosilicate
(Pyrex) clear glass rods and colored glass rods. This type of glass, as
opposed to "soft glass", allows you to sculpt medium to large pieces.
This is because Borosilicate glass is not as sensitive to racking or
breaking while working larger pieces on a torch. This is a beginners
class. How far you can progress in this workshop
will vary from student to student. We accept beginners in this
workshop but of course any previous experience you have in working
glass with a torch will help you progress more quickly in this
workshop.

Some things we do in this workshop

This workshop is a fairly easy going class.
Most students have no trouble achieving a fairly good level of
expertise in the two days. There are many types of things that
could be made. Don't be shy to ask the instructor to show you
how to make a particular project like a humming bird or flower.

Workshop I (Two day Saturday and Sunday)

Discussion of

safety

setting up your own workshop

equipment, torches, and kilns

Shaping Pyrex glass with a torch.

making animals, dragons

dolphins

flowers

any type of sculptures

Blowing Glass with a torch

Sculptures

Pendants

Coloring the glass

using Northstar and Alchemy color glass

fuming with gold and silver

Techniques shown in this workshop can be used to make the following projects.

hummers and flowerscharacters, dolphins and flying pigs or anything you can imagine.

Same pipe, different lighting.

li

Our classroom and equipment

Our classroom and workshop area
has perhaps the latest and most complete setup available anywhere.
Each student has a well lit comfortable work area with plenty
of room for working. Every Student gets to work on a double gas
(oxygen/propane) torch like the National Torch, annealing kilns
and all of the latest tools. Most important in a workshop like
this, is ventilation. With so many large torches going at the
same time, the quality of the air quickly becomes heavy which
can induce headaches, difficulty in breathing and fatigue. Even
one torch could cause this. Our area at Sundance has an excellent
ventilation system keeping the air fresh. A note about temperature:
because of the need for fresh air, the temperature of the work
area will be the same as the temperature outside. California
has pretty mild temperatures but occasionally it could be cold
or warm depending on the season.

A note from Brian, the owner of Sundance:
I remember taking a Torch working
Workshop many years ago in a well known teaching studio in the
San Francisco Bay Area from the biggest known lampworker. It
was terrible, dirty and cramped. They stuck me at the end of
a table on a rickety short stool with no elbow room. It was so
cramped that the instructor couldn't reach me except for once
during the entire 2 day workshop! Not only that, but I was taking
the workshop with some pretty now famous people, a click group.
So much for any attention for me. So much for my $385 fee! But
I did have the best lighting, only because I was the closest
to the grimy window. I've been told it hasn't changed. Actually
I was glad for that experience. I was determined not to expose
my students to that type of atmosphere in my teaching studio!
I personally make sure our classroom and workshop area has the
latest and most complete setup available. You will be guaranteed
a well lit, ventilated workspace with plenty of elbow room and
at half the price! And EVERYBODY gets and plenty of attention
and the best instruction!
Compare apples to apples and
oranges to oranges. If you are shopping around for a class, we
have been told some "classes" are not organized. You
throw down a few bills and are allowed to "hang out"
in their studio and watch them work, and maybe you get to use
a bench when open. OUR class is organized, showing you step by
step from the beginning how to blow glass. Plus our instructor
is there for you the entire time.